Rugby Sevens: Melrose in push for sevens title

By Alan Lorimer

6:52PM BST 10 May 2002

FAVOURITES Melrose are poised to secure the Radio Borders Kings of the Sevens crown today at the Jed-Forest tournament being staged at Riverside Park - the penultimate event on the Borders spring circuit.

Melrose, on 51, have a 15-point lead over their nearest rivals, Kelso and Peebles, and with 10 points the maximum on offer for each of the remaining tournaments, the arithmetic points to a place in the semi-final (worth five points) as being the minimum necessary for the Greenyards men to achieve their goal.

There is, though, the small matter for Melrose of winning their first-round tie. They have been drawn against Watsonians, their opponents in the final at Langholm last Saturday. Melrose won convincingly at Langholm but for the Jed tournament they could be without Kelly Brown, one of their best performers in the Langholm final.

He suffered an injury playing for Scottish Borders but the good news for Melrose is that Tom Weir seems set to return.